


Bury My Heart (Next To Yours)

by Kawaiibooker



Series: V one-shot [16]
Category: Metal Gear
Genre: Canon Divergence, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, M/M, Mental Health Issues, Old Age, PTSD, Post-TPP, in which Vkaz survive 1995/2005
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-04
Updated: 2017-10-08
Packaged: 2019-01-08 19:33:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,835
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12260727
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kawaiibooker/pseuds/Kawaiibooker
Summary: Finally reunited, Kaz and V live to see the future they gave everything for.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Written for [Vkaz Week 2017](http://vkazweek.tumblr.com/).
> 
> This fic heavily relies on the [ending of the V series](http://archiveofourown.org/works/8548510/chapters/19598899). Please read that first.
> 
> Playlist for this fic: [[Spotify]](https://open.spotify.com/user/kawaiibooker/playlist/4DicxAnG0PscvTgqIfLmgd) [[Youtube]](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uUzJGD9yGwA&list=PLXyIitHDMvHDtiI4mnuHoA2TNPKleUVzG)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These are the first three [Vkaz Week](http://vkazweek.tumblr.com/) prompts: Failure, Forgiveness, What You Don't Know.

V remembers.

Not everything, not by a long shot, but enough. That what matters.

He remembers blonde hair shining in the morning light, how effortless it glided between his fingers.

He remembers annoyance turn to fondness behind ever-present aviators, the beginning of a smile barely hidden.

He remembers soft lips against his, only for a brief moment; “Love you”, Venom had said, “See you soon”, Kaz had responded–

–and he had left and Venom had failed and Mother Base had burned, burned, burned until only he remained, kneeling in his own blood with an empty spot above his heart.

There was darkness, after. Blurring colors, the shutter of a camera clicking shut; steps echoing in an empty hallway, a white-tiled ceiling, the rustling of fabric, the smell of antiseptic, the cold touch of gloved hands; weightlessness, vertigo, pain, and the realization he survived what his family did not.

V comes to, and remembers. The world has moved on but he hasn’t, his thoughts stuck a decade behind as he gets dressed in the same clothes, prepares the same food, and tends to the same garden as every day.

Yet time passes, and it does so in uneven chunks: It’s in the blossoming and withering of his flowers, new wrinkles and old scars and the stray kitten that is now a cat, elegant and proud as she accompanies him on his daily walks to the park.

There’s a post-office on the way. On good days, V stops and looks at the cards on display, setting aside his cane to browse the international section for anything familiar. There’s already a small stack of them on his desk, waiting to be sent; one lucky day, he found Victoria, on another,  _The Mikasa_.

He forgot his glasses today, so he moves on. His silent companion is waiting at the intersection; he picks The Cat up and carries her safely across, following dutifully when she leads the way again, bushy tail held high.

They’re early. The park is deserted, still untouched by the busy day to come. As always, The Cat leaves to tend to important cat business, butting her head against his legs in parting. V watches her go with a dim smile, then grips his cane with new purpose.

He’s close to his usual spot when he starts feeling faint; he makes it to a bench and drops down heavily. He rubs at the old wound on his stomach. Force of habit.

Silky hair between his fingers, fond eyes, the beginning of a smile on soft lips,  _see you soon_.

The pressure eases. V breathes.

He remembers, and doesn’t give up. Maybe today will be the luckiest day of them all.

*

The shrapnel is missing.

Kaz is sitting on V’s couch, in V’s apartment, watching him prepare coffee when he realizes it.

Somehow, that detail makes Kaz’s heart drop in his chest. Everything until this point – the pond, the kiss, the silent walk here – felt like a dream, distant and blurry around the edges. V always remained the same in his dreams, just like the day they parted.

But the shrapnel is gone, and his hand is shaking when he gives Kaz his cup, and the coffee isn’t burned. Kaz thanks him quietly and looks away, takes a sip while his eyes wander over the blank walls around them, the functional furniture that barely manages to fill the space. There’s a desk by the window facing the garden; in the corner, an old TV and shelves containing a few books, cassette and VHS cases; a door left ajar, the room behind it dark.

It looks occupied but not lived in. Kaz’s heart grows heavier still.

V’s gaze is on him, Kaz can feel it. He meets it eventually – too tired to pretend he doesn’t care, too old to hide the tears gathering in his eyes yet too stubborn to let them fall. There’s something more etched deep in the tired lines around V’s pale eyes, pain and grief and horrors Kaz didn’t experience because he wasn’t  _there_.

In his dreams, Kaz always knew the right thing to say. Now, with their home gone and a decade spent apart, words fail him entirely; his fingers itch with the need to do  _something_ , to reach out and hold on and never let go–

It’s not him but V who speaks first, a rough, low rasp.

“I’m sorry.”

 _Why?_ , Kaz wants to ask.  _The past doesn’t matter_ , he wants to say, and  _I love you_ , once for every day they lost.

“I couldn’t save them. ’s my fault. I’m sorry.”

His voice breaks then and Kaz can’t stand it anymore, coffee forgotten as he cups V’s face and whispers, “No”, and again when V tenses, like he expects anything other than that gentle touch to his cheek. Kaz doesn’t know the words to make it right but he knows what V needs to hear, what he himself should’ve realized years ago.

“It was out of our hands, V. Not… your fault, or mine, or– or Quiet’s, or Pequod’s. Things were fucked and we gave it all we had anyways. Wasn’t enough… but not nothing either.”

There’s knotted scar tissue where the shrapnel used to be, the stitches put into place a lifetime ago now faded, almost invisible. Kaz traces the faint line close to V’s blind eye up to his eyebrow and down again, the familiar pattern calming him down until the ache is less.

V exhales, one long, shaking breath, and closes his eyes tightly, a few tears sliding down his cheeks, over Kaz’s fingers.

He doesn’t pull away and Kaz doesn’t let go and it’s enough.

*

“Forget it.”

V’s in the arduous process of reaching up and taking out a blanket from his closet when Kaz speaks, voice hard, almost as harsh as he used to be. A quick glance over his shoulder shows: Kaz's glare hasn’t significantly changed either.

Huffing mildly, V carries on. It’s difficult to walk with both his cane and the blanket, so he leaves the first behind and shuffles out the door, heading towards the couch.

Kaz stands in his way. V frowns, a distant sort of annoyance bubbling up in his chest; he’s trying to do the right thing, and Kaz is making it difficult.

“V.”

“Kaz.”

Kaz’s eyes narrow. He doesn’t move an inch. “Don’t ‘Kaz’ me. I’m not sleeping in your bed if you’re not in it.”

V feels the distinct need to rub his eyes, but his hands are currently occupied. The heavy fabric is weighing more by the second. He sighs.

“Just don’t want you to be… uncomfortable.”

Confused silence.

“…with me”, V clarifies. It’s hard to hold eye contact, so he doesn’t.

Suddenly the blanket’s gone and so is Kaz, mumbling angrily under his breath all the way to the bedroom. Time has only made V’s hearing worse and still he catches “ridiculous man”, and “sure as fuck not”.

V watches Kaz aggressively fluff the pillows and smiles, just a little.

*

Kaz’s heartbeat documents the passage of time, simple and strong and steady against V’s ear.

Outside, the world has long gone dark, the soft glow of the street lamp filtering through paper blinds. Sleep is a far thing on V’s mind but his body has other ideas – eyes drooping, head pillowed on Kaz’s chest, V follows the rise and fall of every breath, startling out of his dozing state every time he loses count.

Kaz is awake. His hand is in constant motion, fingers raking through V’s short hair again and again and again; he was humming a while ago, shifting, drumming a rhythm on V’s shoulder. Unfamiliar with complete silence, V guesses, and he too had times when he sang and talked to himself until his voice went hoarse.

Loneliness, real, complete solitude, had been a foreign concept on Mother Base.

“Kinako had puppies, you know”, Kaz says, quietly.

V blinks awake, prompting Kaz to continue with a delayed, “Yeah?”

“Yeah. Remember how fat she got? Turns out it wasn’t the treats.”

 _Figures._ “…Did you keep them?”

To his surprise, Kaz chuckles. “Yup. Pretty rowdy bunch. Imagine three Kinakos tumbling around, destroying shit. What a nightmare.”

The image of Kaz surrounded by puppies pops up in V’s head. He huffs out a laugh.

Kaz stops. His heart speeds up and V tenses –  _Did I do something wrong?_  – but then Kaz leans down and kisses his hair and murmurs, “God, I missed your laugh.”

And V doesn’t know what to say, so he lifts his head and guesses where Kaz’s mouth is and kisses him, softly. Kaz makes a noise like he’s hurt, draws V closer, steals his breath; it’s like it’s their first all over again, vunerable and a little shaky, because they don’t know where life will take them next but they’re willing to walk along that path as long as they’re together.

Kaz’s hand wanders, over the back of V’s neck, down his chest to his belly–

_pain and heat and the dripping of blood, warm and slick between his fingers–_

V pulls back with a sharp inhale. He opens his mouth, doesn’t hear himself speak because of the rushing in his ears but whatever he says makes Kaz back off instantly. The touch disappears. V starts to curl in on himself but he catches himself and tries to breathe instead, holding his stomach.

He can’t look at Kaz, doesn’t want to see the worry in his eyes or his guilty expression. V should’ve known this was a bad idea, too much, too fast – too much has happened, things Kaz needs to know but V can’t put into words. He doesn’t know if he’ll ever be able to.

Without Kaz’s heartbeat, V feels himself drift and that’s even worse. Slowly, V reaches for Kaz, surprised that he’s met halfway, their fingers intertwining after a moment of hesitation.

“Kaz, I…”

“I’m here, V.”

“Sorry.”

Kaz swallows audibly. His grip tightens. “’s okay. Too far, huh?”

V closes his eyes, leans his forehead against Kaz’s neck. His mind is calmer now yet he’s still tense, his breath coming in strained pants. The truth burns on his tongue, begging to be told.

“It’s okay”, Kaz repeats, gently freeing his hand to rub V’s back. “We’re good. Take it easy. ’m not going anywhere.”

V forces himself to relax, the instinct to  _trust Kaz_  still imbedded deep in his brain. Before sleep can claim him, he presses a kiss to Kaz’s throat, over his pulse point.

Kaz mumbles, “We got time now, V.”

They hold each other until morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't wanna leave the AO3 crowd hanging for too long, so I decided to split up the prompts into two chapters. The rest will be posted by the end of the week <3
> 
> Please check out all the other submissions for [Vkaz Week](http://vkazweek.tumblr.com/), they're the bomb!
> 
> (Some meta about the removal of V's shrapnel can be found [here](http://kawaiibooker.tumblr.com/post/166004675806/bipalium-asked-how-vs-shrapnel-was-removed-in).)


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Onwards to [Vkaz Week](http://vkazweek.tumblr.com/) prompt #4 to #6: Caught Red-Handed, Distractions, A Faraway Place.

By the end of the month, Kaz has been introduced to The Cat, planted sunflowers with V, and secured a safe transport of most of his things from Alaska to Japan.

There’s space to spare when it’s all stored away; while there’s still work to be done – the apartment could use some renovating, the technical equipment clearly worn and outdated enough to warrant a look into CD players and possibly a flat screen – Kaz is satisfied.

Much to his surprise, V has saved up quite some money. He said something about a yearly pension he’s getting from an anonymous source. Of course, it’s not much of a secret who that is; Kaz has since replaced it with the funds he hid away under the Miller’s Maxi Buns property and feels instantly better.

As far as Kaz is concerned, Ocelot’s paws can stay as far away from them as possible.

He looks at their shirts lying side by side like they used to and relaxes a little. They paid their price.  _The past doesn’t matter._ Kaz nods to himself.

The apartment is quiet. V’s out to get groceries. Kaz wanted to protest –  _I’m not letting you out of my sight_  – but that pinched look on V’s face was back, the one he gets when he feels useless and caged, and Kaz didn’t have the heart to deny him that. He even smiled at V's reassurance that he’s got mission support, pointing to The Cat waiting at her usual spot.

She’d slow-blinked at Kaz, and Kaz had glared back. Cats are not to be trusted.

Thus Kaz stays behind, determined to get something done, too. He breezes through the basics of cleaning and tidying up the place; next on his list are the shelves, which he meant to properly sort out weeks ago. Upon opening the first case –  _Jurassic Park_ , and the memories that bubble up make Kaz’s chest feel tight – his suspicions are proven right: V’s bad habit of simply not caring which tape belongs where remains unchanged. Kaz groans in the fond-but-exasperated kind of way.

He’s making good progress despite the regular glances to the front door. V’s been gone quite a while.  _I got this_ , he said. Kaz stares blankly at the now-tidied shelf for a moment, worrying his lip… then shakes himself out of it and turns to the desk.

It’s fairly empty, just a few worn pens and stubby pencils in an old-fashioned leather case, a writing pad and a stack of– Postcards? Kaz picks one of them up, flipping it over. Blank. On the front, some generic beach, blue skies, a few palm trees.

“Where is this?”, Kaz mutters, squinting at the small print.  _San José._  “What…?”

The next one.  _Tokyo._

Next.  _Montevideo._

Kaz’s eyes are wide. He remembers.  _Victoria. The Mikasa._ Ten, fifteen, twenty other places, a pattern, always the same: addressed to him, neutral font, the rest blank.

“Do you like them?”

Kaz jumps so bad he knocks the pencil case to the ground, pens flying everywhere. “ _Jesus_ ”, he wheezes, holding his chest. His heart pounds painfully hard against his ribs. “Fuck.”

A bag of groceries lands on the wooden floor with a dull  _thunk_ ; V’s hand grips Kaz’s shoulder, grounding him. “Easy. You okay?”

“Almost gave me a heart attack”, Kaz says weakly, picking his brain for a fitting insult. “Sneaky bastard.”

There’s a tentative smile on V’s face now, amusement mixing with concern. “Old habit.” His gaze runs over the postcards. He blinks, looks back at Kaz.

Kaz anticipates the question in V’s eyes, a sudden surge of guilt turning his legs to jelly. The desk creaks as he leans on it heavily.

“I didn’t know.”

He’d thrown them all away. Every single one. Hot tears of shame rise to Kaz’s eyes. “I thought it was Ocelot”, he admits, whisper-soft. “Some sort of trick, one of those stupid jokes of his. If I’d known…“

V’s still smiling that sad smile of his. “You’re here.” A small shrug. “I don’t need them anymore.”

 _Just like that._  Suddenly exhausted, Kaz rubs his face, looks at V through his fingers. “C'mere.”

V does. Kaz runs his fingers lightly over his cheek, drawing him into a kiss. “I love them”, he breathes against V’s lips, kissing him again. “Thank you.”

V rubs their noses together. A pause.

“…Lunch?”

“Christ.” Kaz snorts, rolls his eyes. “You gotta help, though.”

“Deal.”

*

“How’s it going?”

This time, Kaz doesn’t startle. He’s getting used to V’s shuffling gait.

“Mh. Getting there, I think? This one’s a lost cause but the rest…”

The soil is soft, giving way easily to Kaz’s trowel. He digs out the sunflower that started to wither the day before, careful to take out its roots completely so the others have space to grow.

They’re bright green and a few feet tall already. The first buds are due to grow soon. “Think we’re doing pretty well, all in all”, Kaz continues, glancing at V to catch his pleased look. Then he stretches with a grunt, aware how much he’s sweating. His shirt was discarded quickly, claimed as a seat by The Cat to watch Kaz work.

It’s too hot to shoo her away. Alaskan summers were definitely child’s play compared to  _this_.

V silently accepts the information he’s given. He steps closer, letting Kaz lean against his legs to rest his back.

Something nudges Kaz’s head. Tilting his head up, Kaz squints against the sun until it’s suddenly obscured. A hat.

“Worried I’m gonna melt?”

V huffs. “Sun screen?”

“Already on”, Kaz reassures him, poking his own shoulder and watching the imprint disappear momentarily. “See? Not burned.”

“Hm.” V rights the hat on Kaz’s head. “The neighbors are watching.”

Kaz scoffs. “Let them. ’s too fucking hot for clothes.” He eyes V’s long-sleeved shirt and linen pants. In the 80s, it was almost impossible to catch him more than 50% clothed, the Sneaking Suit being the only exception.

“Since when are you such a prude, anyways?”

It’s meant to be teasing but V’s expression falls then goes blank. “Hm”, he repeats before he motions to go back inside, muttering something about getting some water for the flowers.

Kaz watches him go, confused.

The Cat is staring at him. Kaz points the trowel at her, “What’re you looking at?”, and feels severely judged when she simply gets up and leaves.

*

Kaz doesn’t sleep well that night.

After a few hours of staring at the ceiling, observing the vague shapes of weak light cut by the cars outside, he surrenders and sits up, slowly as to not disturb V on the other side of the bed.

He tiptoes to the bathroom, takes a piss, splashes water in his face to cool it a bit. Under the halogen lamp, his sunburned skin is glaringly obvious. Kaz tsks;  _V was right_ , he thinks, and that brings him back to what he said –  _stupid_ – and V’s reaction –  _worrisome_ – and Kaz stares at himself in the mirror and isn’t a step closer to figuring things out.

The truth is: Kaz is afraid. Those fugitive glances, discomfort with physical contact, difficulties speaking – V has always been shy deep down but that’s not it. Something happened to him, something traumatic enough to shatter his confidence to pieces and… Kaz isn’t sure they can fix it, this time.

And he’s seen V fight his way back from severe  _brainwashing_.

Kaz’s reflection doesn’t have any answers either. He takes a minute or two more to compose himself before he slinks back to bed.

V is soundly asleep, which is rare in and of itself. Kaz watches him for a while, V turning from a shadowy silhouette to the man he loves the more Kaz’s eyes adapt to the dark. The relaxed set of V’s jaw and his quiet snoring sets Kaz at ease but it’s the slip of skin further below that catches his attention.

V’s stomach is peeking out under his shirt. Ever since their first night in this bed, Kaz hasn’t dared to touch him there and he’s not going to now. That’s for V to decide.

Kaz glimpses the beginnings of scars, ridged and darker than the surrounding skin, and swallows.

Taking their blanket, he gently tugs it up to V’s shoulders and shuffles closer. V subconsciously makes room for him; Kaz's heart softens and he tucks himself under V’s chin.

Finally, Kaz sleeps.

*

And so the months pass. The sunflowers bloom deep into September, the last one holding out till the first week of October before it too gives in to the ever-cooling temperatures.

Kaz seemed sad to see them wither; V makes a mental note to plant new ones once the frost thaws again.

Until then there’s still enough to do – Kaz set his mind on updating their heating system, among other things. Where the hell Kaz gets all this energy from V doesn’t know, but he lets him go ahead and helps him where he can.

It’s not much, most days. Kaz tells him not to worry about it.

There’s one thing he can do, though. On a rainy Tuesday, after fighting with the heating units for most of the day, Kaz throws his tools into the corner and goes to shower. V doesn’t have much time – 20 minutes at most, if Kaz decides to wash his hair – which means he’s a little out of breath when Kaz rounds the corner in the usual sweats-and-tank combination he wears at home, hair left loose to air-dry.

Kaz catches sight of V, and freezes. His eyes flit from the running CD player to the two glasses of red wine in V’s hands to V’s too-elegant shirt and back-combed hair. Kaz’s lips twitch, clearly wanting to smile but he wrestles his expression to something between poker face and mildly interested.

“What’s this?”

V cocks an eyebrow, smirking a little, playing along even if he’s nervous, too. Big romantic gestures never were his strength.

“Come here and you’ll find out.”

How fast Kaz’s pretense drops at the flirty tone in V’s voice! V’s nerves settle a bit.  _I got this._

There’s fire in Kaz’s gaze, an edge to his stride as he plucks his share of the wine from V’s bionic, chinks glasses and takes a sip, locking eyes suggestively. V’s getting a little hot around his collar but he drinks too, mostly to distract himself from Kaz’s…  _everything_.

His plan worked a little too well.

V clears his throat, setting his drink aside. “Care to dance?”, he asks, trying to keep his momentum. Kaz does smile, then, and drops the sultry act. A show of mercy. V relaxes instantly.

The CD changes tracks, _Naked As We Came_ plays, and V takes Kaz’s hand in his. Their living room isn’t very big; V pushed aside the couch bit by bit to open up a sort-of-dancefloor.

Kaz easily cedes the lead to V – another thing he’s grateful for –, nestles close as he wraps his arm around V’s neck. “Been a while”, he says quietly, eyes soft. V starts to sway in a slow circle, holding on to Kaz as much as Kaz is holding on to him.

V hums. It was some kind of Diamond Dogs festivity – Pequod’s promotion, maybe? And they listened to– “Aerosmith, right?”

“Oh yeah”, Kaz nods. “I could stay awake, just to hear you breathing–”

He’s interrupted by V’s groan. “God no. That song sucks.”

“It does, doesn’t it?”

They chuckle in unison. Kaz leans his head against V’s shoulder. They dance. Kaz’s chest expands and deflates against V’s as he sighs, at ease.

A vague thought stirs in V’s mind: a lively bonfire, laughter, bottles of various kinds of alcohol stuck in the sand. Kaz, younger than V can picture now, grinning embarrassedly as he’s pulled into dancing. He’d been warm in V’s arms and slightly sweaty.

A kiss to his nose brings V back. “Share it with the rest of the class?”

“… Remember that time on the beach”, V starts, pensive. The memory is like a puddle, shallow and muddy and gone too quickly. “Was it my birthday…?”

Kaz doesn’t miss a beat. He’s used to V grasping at straws when it comes to the far past. “'74, yeah. September 4th.”

“September 4th”, V repeats. Sounds right. “Gotcha to dance Salsa with me, I think.”

“And you were good at it and I wasn't”, Kaz finishes the story for him, exaggeratedly indignant.

“Wanted to impress you, that’s all.”

Kaz’s expression turns pleased. “Oh, I know. You were crushing  _hard_. Almost had me, too.” He leans in conspiratorially, “Touched myself that night, thinking of you.”

V’s dreamy thoughts screech to a halt. He stares at Kaz, wide-eyed. “You’re kidding.”

Kaz’s sly smile is back. “Nope.”

“Kaz…  _Years_ of pining.”

“I regret it too, believe me.” At least Kaz has the decency to look a little ashamed, now. Figures he’d admit to masturbating with a straight face but when it comes to feelings…

“Just didn’t know how to handle it, I guess? Wasn’t really used to being wanted… that way.”

V knocks their foreheads together, laughing when Kaz does, as well. “We wasted so much time." He shakes his head. “I would’ve followed you anywhere.”

Kaz’s laugh fades, suddenly serious. “You did. I owe you my life.”

They look at each other. V doesn’t hear the music anymore, the world around them falling away until it's just Kaz’s heart against his, beating as one, and the truth that waits to be told.

“I thought of you, when–“

V stops, focuses on breathing, starts again.

“The comms were down almost instantly and the platforms were gone so fast. Dave– He just… took us apart.” A joyless huff. “Probably had all kinds of intel. We didn’t stand a chance.”

Kaz doesn’t say a word but he’s  _there_. V takes strength from his unfaltering gaze.

“I was the last. Had me cornered pretty good and–“

His bionic hand wraps around his stomach, a phantom of the past. V looks at Kaz and doesn’t bend under the weight of his heart.

“I was dying and all I could think of was you, Kaz.”

V falls silent. Somewhere along the way, they stopped moving, just holding each other, lost in time.

After seconds that stretch on eternally, Kaz exhales. His arm slides down from V’s shoulders to his side, just shy of touching.

V moves closer and doesn’t flinch when Kaz’s hand rests on his abdomen. Maybe Kaz can feel his scars, maybe he can’t – V realizes it doesn’t really matter.

What  _matters_  is the way Kaz’s eyes shine with emotion, the soft give of his lips as they meet V’s, and how effortless his hair glides through V’s fingers.

The CD player clicks once, the album finished; and they keep dancing to a music of their own.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Obtained CD [[Iron & Wine, Naked As We Came]](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nd-A-iiPoLg)
> 
> The last scene is part of a collaboration with [Hayyie](http://hayyie.tumblr.com/)! [Please check out her beautiful art](http://hayyie.tumblr.com/post/166144461695/hayyie-vkazweeks-day-6-a-faraway-place).
> 
> The final prompt will be posted tomorrow as an epilogue.


	3. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And the final [Vkaz Week](http://vkazweek.tumblr.com/) prompt: All In A Day's Work.

“Ready?”

V’s standing in the front of the bathroom mirror, contemplating which shirt to choose when Kaz pokes his head in. Silently lifting both options – one short-sleeved, the other warmer and a bit worn – V tilts his head.

“Which?”

“Hmm.” Kaz squints, points at the shirt to the left. “That one. It’s sunny out.”

With Kaz’s help, V slips in and together they do up all the buttons, Kaz’s fingers tickling V’s naked skin. V catches his eyes in the mirror and raises an eyebrow, lips quirked. “Kaz.”

“V”, Kaz replies easily, sticking his tongue out so quickly V almost misses it. V’s shirt is straightened one last time. An innocent smile.

“C'mon, she’s waiting.”

Once they step foot out the house, they’re joined by The Cat, as per usual; she trails after them obligingly on the way to the park. They pass by the post-office to buy today’s postcard – the shopkeeper waves away V’s attempts to pay, “You are going to be late”, he reprimands in halting English – and Kaz picks up The Cat to cross the street.

They part ways, and watch the fluffy tail disappear between some bushes.

They are indeed late. The grassy slopes are covered with blankets and towels of all kinds as couples and families gather under the blossoming cherry trees; despite the bustle around them, they take their time, strolling down the path with Kaz’s arm linked to V’s.

V nods at the neighbors he recognizes, and they return the gesture kindly.

Luck is on their side: the bench close to the pond,  _their_  bench, is free. V wipes the petals from their seat, his back twinging with effort but he isn’t bothered too much by it. A year ago, Kaz had sat at the same spot he’s sitting in now only this time he’s relaxed, legs crossed and waiting for V to take his place beside him.

He does.

Here, in their personal little bubble, they are at peace. V rests his hand on Kaz’s knee, palm up, and hums a pleased note when Kaz reaches for him, sliding his fingers between V’s, squeezing a little.

Their eyes meet. Kaz smiles. “Thinkin’ about it too, huh?”

“Yeah.” V leans back, looks at the sky for a moment. “… You slapped me.”

Kaz sputters, hand twitching above V’s. “H-hey, c'mon–“

“But you kissed me after. I liked that better.”

Huffing something under his breath, Kaz blushes, more so when V brushes his hair out of his face and behind his ear with his bionic. So flustered. V finds it cute.

“You’re no angel either. Almost made me sleep alone that night, remember?”

It’s V’s turn to feel embarrassed now. “Touché.”

Kaz grins, presses a kiss to the back of V’s hand. He scoots closer and props his head on V’s shoulder. “We’re doing alright, I think”, Kaz muses quietly, warm against V’s side.

V rests his cheek against Kaz’s hair. They watch the petals fall, swimming delicately on the pond’s surface.

“I love you, you know.”

It surprises V, how determined Kaz’s voice sounds.

“I didn’t say it back, last time. Just… took it all for granted but it’s not.”

V thinks of how tightly Kaz held him, a year ago. How he’d trembled in his arms, mumbling V’s name over and over, kissing him like it’s just a dream and he’s about to wake up.

“It’s not”, Kaz repeats, quieter still; “Yeah”, V says, and “Love you too, Kaz, always have.”

And Kaz doesn’t pull away and V doesn’t let go and it’s more than just enough.

It’s everything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And they were cute old men in love for the rest of their days, amen.


End file.
